They immediately ran into a problem finding a candidate to oppose the incumbent. There were only 16 practicing lawyers in the three counties that make up the deep-red district, including the present Democratic office-holder, Randy Reynolds, who some said was not an effective prosecutor. Desperate for a challenger, they turned to Sarah Stogner, an oil-and-gas lawyer who, on paper, would seem to be an unlikely candidate to boost the Republican Party in what ought to have been one of its strongholds. She has never tried a criminal case. And she’s made her mark in Texas oil law mainly for suing Chevron over environmental damage from abandoned oil wells.

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Persons: Randy Reynolds, Sarah Stogner, she’s Organizations: Republican Party, Chevron, Texas Railroad Commission Locations: Texas, El Paso